Hamartia: Memento Mori (Book 2)
by jeanniedream
Summary: "I have been fighting and drowning for what seems like years, centuries even. But I am awake now. I don't know where I am. I can hear Tris now. She's telling me not to die. I want to, though. What did she call me? I remember now. Four. I used to be Four." Four and Tris find themselves and their way back to each other in this sequel to Hamartia.
1. Chapter 1 The Art of Losing Yourself

**A/N: Please note, this book, Memento Mori, is book 2 of a planned trilogy. Though set in the Divergent world, the story diverges dramatically when Tris chooses Erudite instead of Dauntless. I would strongly recommend reading book 1, Hamartia, first. Thank you for reading and I look forward to your comments and suggestions! In response to Hope - some of you are a bit worried about the title. Memento Mori means 'Remember (that you have) to die'. Don't get too nervous! It might mean deaths of other people (e.g., neither Tris or Four), or it might mean deaths of old selves, and rebirths...**

 _From Tobias' Perspective_

I have been fighting and drowning for what seems like years, centuries even. But I am awake now. I don't know where I am. The light is too bright, and I close my eyes again to shield them from it. I think I am in a hospital room. I can hear a faint beeping noise. There are bandages on my head, and even slight movement send waves of nausea coursing through me. My mouth feels like it is full of cotton. What happened to me? I struggle to remember. And then I do. _Tris_. It all comes flooding back, and I am once again drowning. I remember Samhain. I remember her parents, lying dead on the warehouse floor, and she is bent over them, shaking. I remember going with her to Erudite. _Oh God._ I remember Eric, beating me. I remember fear, horrible fear, its black tentacles squeezing my chest, making it hard to breathe. It's hazier, after that. I can't tell what is real. I am lying on the floor, Tris' face hovering over me, and I am struggling to figure out what she is saying. I can't hear her. Her face is replaced by the face of my mother. She is stroking my hair, and calling me her sweet boy. I try to get Tris' face back, but I can't.

I open my eyes again, and I slowly realize where I am. I'm in Evelyn's hospital. I try to speak, but it's like I'm underwater. _Tris_. The beeping gets faster.

"He's awake. Go get Evelyn." It's a man's voice. I hadn't realized there was anyone there.

I hear footstep tapping quickly on a hard floor. And then my mother is there, her face coming into view like it had before, but this time, it is in sharper focus. She is smiling.

"Tobias, can you hear me?" _Who is Tobias?_ I remember now. I am Tobias now. Who was I before?

I work my mouth, trying to loosen it, but nothing comes out. She is talking again.

"I knew you were a fighter, Tobias. You've come back to me."

"What happened?" I finally get something out.

Her face darkens now I remember that look. "You were tricked into going to Erudite. By that girl. They tortured you to get Marcus to talk. But we managed to rescue you."

"Tris?"

"It's OK Tobias, you're safe here. Safe from _her_."

I try to process this, but it's too confusing. My words are clearer now, though.

"I have to get up."

She smiles at that. "You'll have to wait a few more days. They had to remove a piece of your skull – your brain was swelling. They replaced it yesterday. And you lost your spleen and part of a kidney. They tell me you'll patch up, though. Good as new."

"How long…?"

"Have you been here? Five days."

My mind reels at this news.

"Tris?"

"You're safe here. I'll never let something like that happen to you again."

"Where's Tris?"

My insistence bring a cloud across Evelyn's face. "In Erudite, I assume." She snaps. "With her cousin, no doubt."

"There was a bomb…"

"Jeanine had someone plant it in Dauntless, and blamed it on the Abnegation. The Dauntless attacked Abnegation, and captured Marcus and several Divergents." A gleam of satisfaction flits across her face. "She was too stupid to figure out where we were really hiding."

"I didn't tell her…"

"Shhh. I know. You were brave. My sweet boy."

"I was afraid…"

"You're here now. Everything will be OK. Get some rest."

She leaves now, and they dim the lights. I close my eyes, and memories start to overwhelm me. The Samhain bonfire. _Tris_. The smell of blood in the warehouse. _Tris._ Am I dreaming now? I can't tell. I wish Zeke would stop running and put me down, it hurts too much. There are rows and rows of bookshelves. I can hear Tris now. She's telling me not to die. I want to, though. What did she call me? I remember now. Four. I used to be Four.

Standard Disclaimer: All rights to Divergent and its characters belong to Veronica Roth.


	2. Chapter 2 Amity

_From Uriah's Perspective_ , _4 days earlier_ _(the day after their arrival)_

Dauntless funerals usually last all night, but when the fire died, we all retreated silently back into the shelter of the oak tree. All except Tris; she had said she needed to go for a walk. I had started to follow her, but my mother had silently touched my arm, and shaken her head. Once inside, sleep claimed me quickly, and I dreamed of Zeke, and of my father. I'd like to think they're together now. My father disappeared ten years ago - just like that. No goodbye, no body, nothing. He was Divergent, and so am I. Dauntless and Erudite. We assumed he was discovered, but we'll probably never know for sure what happened to him. I hope he went down fighting.

Four saw it in me immediately. "We recognize our own kind", he had told me. His words had terrified me - just as Four himself had always terrified me. He practiced the aptitude test with me, so that when I took it for real, I'd get a Dauntless result. My mother had wanted me to go to Amity, to be safe, but I couldn't bear to leave her and Zeke, and Four watched over me. If he had been caught, it would have meant death for us both. He never let me thank him. I hope I get the chance someday.

I rise early. Shauna is still sleeping, but Tris' bunk is empty. I go in search of my mother. I find her at a table in the largest room of the underground compound, sitting with Katrina.

"Did you get some sleep, baby?" I usually hate it when she calls me that, but this time I don't mind.

I shrug. "Some."

"Katrina says we can stay here, as long as the Amity agree."

"And Tris and Shauna?"

"Tris will have to stay hidden here, but it will be up to Shauna whether she decides to stay or not."

"I'll stay with Tris. I owe it to Four."

My mother smiles briefly at this. "Just like Zeke. Dauntless to the core."

"You know that's not completely true." I tell her.

"You make your own choices in life – and that's who you are. Not a result from a simulation. Your father understood that, and so did Four."

I nod. "What do we do about Four?"

"He may be safer where he is – she's his mother."

I remember her cruel smile and her eyes, so like Four's, yet strangely dark - and I'm not so sure. I don't know how to explain it to my mother, though. "How do we get permission to stay here?"

Katrina answers this. "All four of you will need to go before the Amity council this afternoon. You'll explain your reasons for seeking asylum, and they will make a decision. You'll have to be patient. The Amity way of making decisions is not the Dauntless way."

"I've wondered how you've survived here all these years." My mother says.

Katrina laughs. "The bread helps. Still, I chose an easier path than Natalie."

My mother sighs. "She was in love."

"This was Tris' mom?" I ask.

"Yes, we were inseparable. She was the most Dauntless of us all. At least on the outside. But she and Katrina were both Divergent, and couldn't stay. I lost both of my best friends. Her parents were devastated when she chose Abnegation. She was their only child. After she left, they took the jump – together."

I look up to see Tris standing in the doorway. I wonder how much she heard. She is still wearing Four's sweater, her hair is disheveled, and there are dark smudges under her eyes, but despite this, she looks calmer – resolute, almost.

"Tris, we've been worried about you." My mother chides her, gently.

"I fell asleep on the train."

"You need to stay in Amity now, it's not safe for you anywhere else." My mother warns her.

Tris nods. "I read my mother's letters."

"Do you want to tell me about them?"

Tris crosses the room and sits down at the table across from my mother. "I'm not sure I understand it all, but yes." She pauses to take a deep breath. "The first letter was just a general warning about what might happen if I chose Dauntless."

My mother leans across the table and takes her hand. "Because you're Divergent?"

Alarm flashes across Tris' eyes, but my mother continues. "It's OK. You're safe here."

Tris' voice is barely more than a whisper. "How did you know?"

This time I answer. "We recognize our own kind." The expression on Tris' face after hearing these words makes me wonder if Four had used those same words with her. I take a deep breath. "Four recognized me. He helped me – protected me. I owe him my life."

My mother intervenes. "And what about the second letter – the one that came specifically addressed to you?"

"It was about Evelyn – Four's mother. It was a warning. My mother said Evelyn told her she was Divergent, and was planning to overthrow the faction system."

I notice Katrina and Hana exchange alarmed glances, but they say nothing, allowing her to continue. I am not as patient.

"I don't understand, I thought she died." I ask.

"She faked her own death. She wanted out of Abnegation, and she was pregnant by another man."

Hana shakes her head. "I don't understand how she could leave Four behind."

Tris' voice sounds brittle now. "She never wanted him."

"But he's Divergent, like her, right?" I ask.

"He _not_ like her. I think that's why she never recognized his Divergence."

"We have to rescue him." I tell them.

Tris takes a deep breath, and I realize she now seems years older than she did yesterday. "We can't. Not now. He needs doctors and she's got them. We don't. We have to wait. We have to be smart this time." Tris looks away now. "After what I did, maybe he's safer with her, anyways."

"You didn't know." I tell her.

My mother joins me. "You couldn't have known what would happen. You need to rest, get your strength back. The Amity will probably give us sanctuary."

Tris nods. "Uriah, will you teach me how to fight? I mean _really_ fight?"

I'm not sure how the Amity will feel about it, but I know it would help us both. "Of course. I'm not as good as Zeke or Four, but they taught me a lot."

Tris is silent at this, and I immediately regret saying their names.

This time, Katrina breaks the silence. "Tris, is there anything else you need?"

"Yes, a pair of scissors."

Tris had disappeared then, and I did not see her until it was time for us to go before the council. Shauna had wanted to go straight back to Dauntless, but Hana had convinced her to stay a couple of days at least to make sure it would be safe. The Amity Council was outside, in a large clearing. Everyone sat cross-legged on the grass in a large circle. The members clasped hands with the people on either side of them and exchanged greetings. Everyone smiled. Shauna and I were at a complete loss, but we followed suit. The leader of Amity was a woman named Joanna Reyes. She quietly addressed circle.

"Today we are fortunate to have among us four citizens from Dauntless. They are asking for sanctuary here – they are fleeing the violence that has overtaken their faction." Joanna stops now, and looks expectantly around the circle.

A young man speaks. "What if the Dauntless come looking for them?"

To my surprise, Tris answers for us. Her voice is calm and sure. "We would never wish to endanger any of you. No one knows we are here, but if they come for us, we will leave."

Shauna and I look at each other, surprised at the change in her. Like many of the Amity, she has covered her hair with a cloth wrap, but it is hot, and she starts to untie it. I see she has cut her hair off, it barely reaches to her collar. Shauna looks shocked, but I like it. It makes her look older, tougher, and more serious.

An older woman now speaks. "Are they willing to work, and to follow our rules?"

Joanna looks to us. "We would ask that you work in the fields each day, and that you keep our rule of Amity. No fighting, no weapons, no violence of any kind. It may be harder for you than you think."

"I can do it." I respond.

Tris and my mother both answer as well, but Shauna seems more reluctant. "What if I need to protect myself?" She questions Johanna.

"We all take this vow, so there should be no need."

Shauna seems unconvinced, but mutters, "Alright."

Johanna looks around again. "Are there any other questions?" She pauses for an incredibly long time, but finally continues. "Good, let's deliberate, then."

The deliberations go on for what seem like hours. Each person talks softly to the people on either side, and occasionally rises to talk to another member of the circle. Joanna sits calmly, smiling. I glance at Tris and she seems miles away – meditating, perhaps. Shauna is fidgeting and scowling.

Finally, the voices quiet, and then turn to silence. It seems that collectively, they have come to an agreement.

"Hana, Shauna, Tris, and Uriah: the Amity hereby grant you temporary sanctuary for one week, at which point we will re-evaluate your situation." Johanna smiles now. "Perhaps by then you will be able to return to your own faction."

I look in my mother's direction and I can tell that like me, she is not as optimistic as Johanna.

"Thank you, Johanna." Is all Tris says. The council members begin to rise, and leave.

"Katrina," I ask. "Is there a place around here that Tris, Shauna and I could use for some exercise?"

She smiles. "You mean sparring, right?"

"Yeah."

"Don't let them catch you. They won't understand." She points to a stand of thick trees about half a mile distant. "Those woods should be private enough."

The woods are beautiful, and very quiet. The smell wet, like moss. The Amity must be watering this place heavily. I wonder why. Strangely, I really like it in Amity. Everything feels _alive._ Shauna immediately drops to the ground and starts stretching, then switches to pushups. Tris mimics her, but falters after only a few pushups.

"Do them on your knees." Shauna tells her.

"No, I need to get stronger." Shauna and I switch to planks, and slowly Tris finishes the pushups. Shauna and Tris begin to spar. Shauna is rough, but Tris does not protest. Then we switch off, and Shauna and I fight. Since Four taught her as well, we are evenly matched, and soon we're both panting and exhausted. The light is failing, and so we head back.

As we are walking, we see a train approaching, and three people, dressed in blue, jump out. Shauna and I immediately look for cover, but Tris just stands there, as if paralyzed. I call to her.

"Get down!"

"It's OK," she murmurs. I think I know them."

It takes the jumpers a while to get to their feet, but when they do, Tris starts running toward them. I jump to my feet to follow her, but Shauna stays put. "Not smart, Uriah!" She calls to me, angrily. "You should know by now not to trust anybody in blue!"

I disregard her, though, and follow Tris. I catch up to her just as she meets them. It is a boy and girl about our age, and an older man. Tris embraces the boy first.

"Caleb, thank God. Thank God." She whispers tearfully into his shoulder.

The girl holds her hand out to me in Amity fashion. "I'm Amy."

I take her hand and nod. "Uriah."

Tris now turns to the man and takes his hand. "Arnold, I owe you so much, but why are you here?"

He smiles, but his voice is serious. "We have a lot to talk about."

 **A/N Hello! Not a super exciting chapter, I know, but there were introductions to be made, including background on Katrina and Natalie, as well as the terms under which they are allowed to stay in Amity. The next chapter will be from Tobias' point of view.**


	3. Chapter 3 Mater Familias

_From Tobias' Perspective_

It's 4:30 in the morning and I'm wide awake. Again. This time I don't even bother trying to get back to sleep. The dream is always the same. I can't bear to relive it one more time. I'm with Tris in the elevator, and the door opens, and I realize it's a trap. And then she leaves me there. _How could she do that, knowing what Eric was? She'd must have seen what they'd done to Marcus._ I've been over it and over it in my mind, and I want to believe that she was fooled, too, and that she only left me to go get help. But she didn't look at me when she left. If only I had seen her eyes, I would _know_. But I have no idea how to contact her. The Erudite don't have cameras in the factionless district. An arrogant oversight.

Today I'm finally allowed out of bed. Just sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the bed sends waves of nausea through me, and it takes several seconds and a couple of deep breaths before I am able to contemplate trying to stand. My mother – _Evelyn_ just stands in the corner watching me, her lips pursed, and her arms crossed over her chest. She doesn't offer me help, but I don't want it. I will myself up, like I've done so many times before.

Over the past few days, I've gotten more affection from her than I got in in the nine years before she left me. Now that I'm on my feet, again though, it seems she has once again reverted. I wonder briefly which is the real Evelyn, but I quickly force the thought out of my mind. I don't need affection. I do need her protection, though, at least until I'm strong again. I choose my words carefully.

"Have you had any contact with Erudite or Dauntless?" I ask her.

She smiles wryly. "They don't even acknowledge our existence."

"I thought you had operatives..." She had told me that's how she learned that I was being held by Erudite – and that Tris had led me there.

She hesitates, as if trying to decide how much to tell me. "Eric hasn't returned to Dauntless. He fed them aggression serum – that's why they were so brutal to the Abnegation. Not that they didn't have it coming."

I look away, knowing no response I would give to this would please her. She continues. "They're scrambling now, trying to figure out what happened, but they have no idea it was Eric or the Erudite. They think he died a hero's death."

"And Marcus?" I ask.

Her eyes narrow. "Why do you care? You always said he was a monster."

I shrug. "Just trying to figure out what's going on."

"He's still being held by Erudite. But he knows nothing." She waves her hand dismissively.

"I never thanked you for getting me out of there."

A look of satisfaction crosses her face. "You're my son, Tobias."

"I'd like to thank them personally – the men you sent. Are they here now?" It's true that I want to thank them, but I have another reason for wanting to see them. A couple of times, the dream has continued on past the point where Tris leaves me. I go through Eric and Jeanine torturing me, once again. After that, I can feel someone carrying me on their shoulders - but it's Zeke. I'm sure of it. Then I'm in a huge room with rows and rows of bookshelves, and Tris is looking down at me. I want to ask them how they got me out of Erudite, so I can understand how much of the dream is real. Maybe if I figure it all out the dreams will stop.

She looks surprised. "They're my best men – they're out on patrol."

"When do you expect them back?"

"I'll let you know," she snaps, irritably.

"Do you think your people could find out what happened to Tris?"

I sense immediately I shouldn't have mentioned Tris. I can almost smell the anger emanating from her. "I promise when we capture her I'll let you watch."

I shake my head. "I don't know for sure that she knew what Jeanine was planning."

"Don't be so naïve. You still think you met her by _accident?_ "

My mind flits back to the Ferris wheel. She knew who I was. And then I remember everything else. It was so _real_. I feel my chest contract again. Strangely, the thought of never seeing her again is worse even than the thought of her having betrayed me.

"Maybe."

My mother is incredulous. "You almost died. And still - you would forgive her. Unbelievable." She's shaking her head now. "If you were one of us, you'd have learned not to be so stupid."

Now she's the Evelyn I remember. I briefly consider telling her that, in fact, I _am_ one of them – a Divergent. Something holds me back, though. _If Evelyn knew about Tris' Divergence, would she let her come here?_ It's not my secret to tell, though, and I know Tris is safer in Erudite. I know she'd be better off if she'd never met me, but I still can't regret climbing that Ferris wheel, and saving her. I need to concentrate on the here and now, though. I know Evelyn will only protect me for as long as she thinks I'm useful. I need to show her I can be useful.

"I'm a good fighter. I could help you."

"True." She smiles now, but not kindly. "Who would have thought that scrawny little boy would end up Dauntless?

"I had to get away from Marcus."

"When you got here, I had them sequence your entire genome. Twice."

"Why?"

"I thought maybe I'd been wrong, that you _were_ one of us."

"And..?"

"I wasn't wrong. My geneticists tell me you're a phenocopy. You're not truly Dauntless, but your environment made you appear so. How did you survive initiation? It must have been terrifying."

I know her question is motivated by detached curiosity, rather than concern. Until that cell in Erudite, I had managed to convince myself that I could become Dauntless, by sheer force of will. As I lay dying though, I realized that was all a fantasy. Even so, I don't like hearing how obvious it is, even to an observer. I forget myself for a moment, and clench my teeth.

"I was used to getting beat."

If she picks up on the accusation, she doesn't let on. "And why did they call you Four?"

"I had only four fears. It was a record."

She eyes me up and down. "Fascinating."

I'm done with this conversation, I'm bound to say something else that will anger her and I want to get a look around the compound. "Can I go for a walk?"

"I'll get someone here to escort you." She walks toward the communications panel on the wall, but then stops and turns around. "I almost forgot. The night my men brought you here, you were near a warehouse. You'd been seen near there before." She pauses now, waiting for me to confirm it, but I won't. She continues. "The day we got you out of Erudite, we found two bodies there. They were Abnegation. Do you know anything about?"

I don't want her to know who Tris really is, and there is no other way to explain why I would have helped the Priors. I shrug. "No. Who were they? Did you recognize them?"

She shakes her head, "No, I didn't."

Even knowing her as I do, I'm shocked how easily and how well she lies. Natalie Prior had been her best friend. _What reason would she have for lying?_ I grope for something to say. "Maybe they weren't really Abnegation – maybe they were the ones who planted the bomb in Dauntless."

"Perhaps…" With that she turns back to the panel. "Send Jeremy down to show Tobias around."

"Why do I need an escort?" I know it's because she doesn't trust me, but I'm curious to see if she will admit it.

"I don't want you to get lost, and you're still getting your strength back."

I nod. I hear footsteps and soon a young man about my age enters the room.

"Yes, Evelyn?"

"I need you to show Tobias around. Bring him to the cafeteria for lunch when you're done."

"Yes, Evelyn." She turns and leaves, not bothering to say goodbye.

"You must be Jeremy?" He's blond, a bit shorter than me, but stockier, like Zeke. Like most of the factionless, he's dressed in rags, but I notice his boots are new. I wonder where they came from.

"Yeah. You're Tobias?"

"Call me Four."

At this, he look uncomfortable. "Uh, Evelyn told us we're supposed to call you Tobias – she said she doesn't want you to be confused."

It's clear he won't disobey my mother's orders, so I let it go. "OK – no problem."

"So, what do you want to see?"

"Everything."

Again, discomfort. "I'm not supposed to let you get too tired."

"Ok, well back in Dauntless, my job was to monitor the surveillance cameras. Do you have something like that here?"

"Sure, it's up in command. I guess I can show you a little bit of what's there."

He leads me down a long hallway past at least a dozen hospital rooms.

"Why do you have such a big hospital?" I ask.

Jeremy shrugs. "You never know when you might need it."

"When was it built?"

"As soon as Evelyn took over, we started building the hospital and the school. She's saved us all – before she came, we were starving – at the mercy of the Abnegation. Now we're like any another faction. We have food, clothes, security – everything."

"Is your family here as well?"

"You could say so. My original family brought me here when I was three and left me. They were Candor, and probably knew I'd be discovered, sooner or later."

"You've never been curious about them?"

"No, not really."

We step onto an elevator and he presses the button for the twentieth floor. Like everything I've seen so far, the elevator looks new and sophisticated – nothing like the exterior of the building. _How have they been able to build all this?_

"Where did all of this come from?" I ask.

"We have people embedded in each of the other factions. They keep us informed about what they're up to, and they also divert supplies and resources to us. We're pretty good at covering our tracks."

"You could stay hidden forever, then, huh?"

Jeremy regards me carefully for a moment. "Uh, yeah, definitely."

The elevator comes to a stop and he exits first, I follow. He gestures to the right. "That's command down there, but it's off limits." Instead, we walk to the left. Soon, he points to a door marked 'Cameras'.

"Do you think I could take a look inside? Just for a minute? I'm curious to see if it's similar to the Dauntless setup."

"Hold on, my bunkmate works here – I'll see if he's on duty." He taps quietly on the door, and another young man, about the same age as us, answers. "Hey, David. This is Tobias, mind if he takes a look at your setup?"

"Sure, OK – Stephanie's not here." He steps back and allows us to enter. There is an entire wall that shows views of the factionless compound. I quickly try to memorize all the locations, to get a sense of the layout. There are views of the exterior, including the front door, and at least twenty interior cameras. I abandon this though, when the labels for the monitors on another wall catch my eye. _Erudite._ My breath catches, but I try to stay calm.

David and Jeremy are behind me, now. "So, Tobias – what are you looking for?"

I'm peering at the Erudite screens now, looking for signs of Tris. There are only a few views, though. One looks like a large cafeteria, with wooden tables, and another appears to be some kind of atrium.

"I was looking for the cell they kept me in, but it's not here."

"Yeah, we only have a few cameras in Erudite, and I hear it wasn't easy getting them there."

Jeremy interjects. "I hear they tortured you?"

"Yeah." I don't want to talk about it, though. I turn back to David. "Is this all real-time, or do you store the video?"

"What you see is all real-time, but we store all the video for analysis on a separate mainframe that's only accessible from this room."

The door swings open just at that moment, and Evelyn enters. "Tobias, what are you doing here?"

I'm hoping I haven't gotten Jeremy or David in trouble. I this goes south, I won't get any more information out of them. Then I remember something Tris had told me about the Erudite always accepting curiosity without question. "I was wondering if your setup was like Dauntless. I thought I could help you."

Her eyes narrow. "That won't be necessary. I have another job in mind for you. An important one."

 **A/N: Thanks for reading and I welcome any comments or suggestions. Updates are going to be a lot slower for this book, as work has really picked up, but I will try to do at least a chapter a week. It's only fair to warn you that there's some stuff that needs to happen for both Tris and Four before they can be together again. I promise to do my best to keep it interesting until then, though.**


	4. Chapter 4 Arnold

_From Tris' perspective_

 _The same day as chapter 3, but in Amity_

It's been five days since Caleb, Amy, and Arnold arrived. Since then, another twenty or so members of Abnegation have trickled in. Though none of them have been people my family was close to, the sight of their grey clothing has been a comfort to me. Like us, they've all been given sanctuary, though I suspect they have had an easier time abiding by the Amity rules. That said, something is being planned now that will almost certainly get us all ousted from Amity, if we're discovered.

Immediately after they got here, Amy went to find her family, and I brought Caleb and Arnold to Katrina. Along with Hana, Uriah, and Shauna, we all gathered around the table in the largest room of the underground oak tree complex.

"I'm going to get right to it," began Arnold. "There are four pieces of evidence that prove that Erudite was behind the attack on Dauntless, and the subsequent attack on Abnegation. First, there is the aggression serum. Caleb has data and video footage documenting the development of the serum, and its testing. First they tested it on the factionless, then they tested it on the few Divergents that they found in Abnegation."

He turned to Caleb, who had been silent so far. Caleb reaches into his pocket and pulled out a data disk.

"Do you have a way of viewing this?"

Hana reached for a datapad and Caleb inserted the disk. He cleared his throat and began to speak. His tone was oddly flat, almost clinical. "Here's the chemical formula and synthesis procedure for the serum. It was quite complex." He flipped through several more files. "Here are the results of the first _in vivo_ tests in rats." He pointed to a scatterplot showing measurements taken at intervals before and after administration. The horizontal axis extended to ninety minutes, but I noticed there were no points after about seven minutes.

"Where's the rest of the data?" I asked him.

Caleb pressed his lips together. "None of the rats survived past then." He flipped to another file. "I think the video will make it clearer." It was horrific. There were 4 rats in a cage, and immediately following injection, they started biting and tearing at each other with their claws. Even after the first one died, the others continued attacking it, and each other.

"I think they get the picture." Arnold said, quietly.

Caleb had nodded and switched to a plot titled "Factionless Subjects".

"They lasted a bit longer," Caleb had explained, pointing to the data, which ended at fifteen minutes.

"You have video of that as well?" Katrina asked.

"Yes," Caleb had answered, his voice barely a whisper. "Do you want to see it?"

I shook my head no. "This is what you were doing when I found you in the lab?"

Caleb wouldn't look me in the eye. "That was one of the Divergents they found in Abnegation. Since there were only a few, Jeanine told us to make sure we didn't kill any of them, so we monitored their cortisol, dopamine, and adrenaline levels, and scanned their brains. They seemed to be more resistant than the factionless subjects, but they were definitely affected."

"Caleb, how could you _do_ this?" I asked.

"I tried to tell you." For just a moment, I saw his mask drop. "It wasn't so bad when it was just the rats. They told us we were studying aggression in order to prevent it."

"But what about the Factionless?"

"They told us if we didn't cooperate, that we'd be Factionless, too. I'm not Dauntless. I'm not Abnegation. I didn't know what to do."

Arnold interrupted, then. "The important thing is that we have this evidence. Now you know about the serum. The next piece of the puzzle is here." He paused to swap data disks. "Beatrice may have told you that the Erudite has been monitoring the other factions?"

Shauna glared at me across the table. "No, she didn't. What does _monitoring_ mean? Spying?"

I could only nod.

"Well, we can deal with that later." Arnold continued. "Right now, just be glad we have proof that Eric tampered with the alcohol at Samhain." The video began, and showed him very clearly emptying vials into each of the barrels, as they were delivered. A second video shows him placing the bomb.

Shauna slammed her fist down on the table. "I _knew_ it _._ I never trusted him."

"He was handpicked by Jeanine to infiltrate Dauntless. She's been planning this for quite some time. I don't understand why he didn't avoid the cameras, he knew they were there - but he must have thought at this point nobody would be checking them."

"So _that's_ why we all went berserker." Uriah had said.

Yes, and there were a lot more vials. The plan was for continued low-level administration, but Eric never make it back to Dauntless." Caleb explained.

Shauna snapped right back. "We know that part. We killed him."

Caleb and Arnold exchanged glances. "I'm afraid not. He survived, but he's still at Erudite. Jeanine has kept him hidden, and they haven't figured out a way to get him back into Dauntless. They could say he was wounded in the attack on Abnegation, but then he'd have to explain where he's been and who patched him up. We have footage of him in the Erudite infirmary. That's the fourth piece."

"So what's happening in Dauntless now? If Eric isn't there, is it safe for us to go back?" Hana sounded hopeful.

"I honestly don't know. You'd have to have a pretty good story for where you've been all this time. The serum has worn off, and I think Max and the others have started to suspect that it wasn't the Abnegation who attacked them. They're very suspicious," Arnold responded.

"But I don't understand – we could take them this evidence, and then it would be fine." Shauna said.

This time I answered, having already considered that possibility. "You'd have to explain how you got it. Max might think you were involved with Erudite as well."

"So what is the plan, then?" Katrina asked.

"I'm honestly not sure what to do. Caleb and Amy will be staying here, but I have to go back now, or I'll be missed." Arnold said.

"But it's too dangerous! The Amity will let you stay here if you ask." I pleaded with him.

He smiled then. "I can help you more back in Erudite."

"What if Jeanine finds out what you've done? She'll kill you. Or worse."

Arnold sighed. "You reach a point where you're more concerned about the person you've become. Caleb understands that now." Arnold glanced at Caleb, but Caleb could only look away.

Looking at Arnold, I knew the decision had been made and there was no point in trying to persuade him.

"I'll walk you to the train?" I offered.

"I'd like that."

I led him back up the winding stairs. Once we were above ground again, Arnold asked me how Four was.

"I don't know." I had to fight back tears as I answered. It was the first time I'd cried since the night we arrived in Amity.

"What do you mean?"

"He was hurt so badly, he wouldn't have made it to Amity."

"Then where is he?"

"We took him to Evelyn – Four's mother. She's the leader of the factionless. They have a hospital. She took Four, but she made us leave. She blamed us for what happened"

Arnold had been alarmed at this. "What do you mean, _leader_ of the factionless?"

"The Divergents Jeanine was after weren't hiding in Abnegation – they were hiding among the factionless. They're organized, and I think they're planning to go to war."

"Why?"

"They're descendants of the original Divergents. Most of them were banished, but a few were able to enter the City, and over successive generations, they've increased in strength. They want power, and revenge."

Arnold shook his head. "There were always stories - whispers. I never thought they'd turn out to be true. I guess Jeanine wasn't so crazy after all?"

"She's right to fear the Divergents, if that's what mean. But by destroying the Abnegation and destabilizing Dauntless, she may have made it easier for the Factionless Divergent to take over."

"She was always short-sighted."

"Arnold, what's going to happen?"

"I don't know. You have the evidence. I think it's up to the remaining Abnegation to decide what to do with it."

"If it's made public, the Dauntless will attack Erudite. That's two factions gone, without the Divergents having to do anything."

"Maybe that would be a good thing."

"You wouldn't say that if you'd met her, Arnold. Evelyn is ruthless. She'll kill you all – or enslave you."

"Perhaps Four can help?"

"I have no way to contact him…" But then it had come on me. There _was_ a chance. I still had the program Four had written. I had the disk in my pocket, and I gave it to Arnold. "Four wrote this program so I could send a message to him in Dauntless. It piggybacks a signal on the stream from Erudite that monitors the Dauntless mainframe."

Arnold had chuckled at that. "Clever."

"If somehow he makes it back there…"

Arnold finished my sentence for me. "I'll tell him where you are – and what really happened." As if on cue, I could hear the train then, and Arnold had turned away from me and started running toward it. Only when it was so loud that I knew he'd never hear me did I realize that I'd never thanked him. He had saved me, Four, and my brother, and risked his own life to bring us evidence against Erudite. I pray I get the chance to repay him someday.

Though I had my reservations, we had agreed among ourselves that the evidence had to be shared with the Abnegation. To his credit, Caleb had not shied away from revealing his role in the development and testing of the aggression serum. Once we were done, we were met with nothing but silence. Since then, for almost a week, the remaining Abnegation had been locked in debate over what to do with the information.

Our days have been filled with work in the Amity fields. I don't mind. It gives me time to think. And it gives me time to pray - for Four, for Arnold, and for all of us. I'm worried about my brother. He has been staying with Amy and her family, and every time I've tried to talk to him, he's turned and walked away. He's the only family I have left, and I know I need to break down the wall between us. I just don't know how, though. Each night, Uriah, Shauna, and I have stolen away to the grove to train and spar. I hear Shauna crying at night, but she hasn't mentioned Zeke's name once since the funeral. I know she blames me for what happened to him, and she takes it out on me when we fight. I let her. I can feel myself getting stronger, both physically and mentally. I still have a long way to go, though.

All of the Abnegation leaders were killed, except for Marcus, but a woman I knew only a little, Mara, has become the informal leader of the Abnegation in Amity. This morning she approached me, and asked me if it would be possible to create an anonymous broadcast that would be sent to all of the factions.

"In the end, we must choose truth," she had said.

"Even at the expense of peace?" I had countered.

"There can be no true peace without truth." It was an Abnegation teaching, and I should have expected the answer, but I was not comforted by it.

Katrina and the others had been supportive of the idea, and right now, along with the Abnegation, they are recording the message. I will be delivering the transmitter tonight, which will broadcast the message from Abnegation. I am fearful of the events that may be set in motion by this transmission, but also hopeful. In exchange for my delivery of the transmitter, they agreed to insert a small, hand-drawn picture at the beginning of the message. None of them asked me what it meant, and I volunteered no explanation.

 **A/N Thank you so much for reading! Reviews are like crack to me, truly. Always interesting in hearing your thoughts. Tris has found two ways to try to get a message to Four, hopefully one of them at least will make it!**


	5. Chapter 5 Going Home

_From Tobias' Perspective_

Maybe it was because I was woken in the middle of the night, but this time the dream was much clearer. Again, I could feel myself being carried on Zeke's shoulders, and again, I'm in the room with the bookcases. This time there are more details, though. Tris was cradling my head in her hand, and telling me to be strong – telling me she loved me. Shauna was there as well, taking my pulse. Then I saw Eric come around the corner. Zeke blocked his shot, and fell. Then Tris grabbed Zeke's knife and threw it at Eric, hitting him in the shoulder, forcing him to drop his gun. Could it all have really happened like that? Or was it only wishful thinking? I suspect it's the latter. As much faith as I had in her, I doubt Tris could have made that knife shot under pressure. And if that didn't happen, the rest probably didn't, either.

It was Jeremy who woke me. At 2:30 in the morning. All he told me was that Evelyn wanted to see me, and now I'm following him as he leads me to her command room. Since she found me in the Factionless surveillance room, Evelyn has kept much closer tabs on where I go. I had seen David later that day, and it was clear he'd been beaten for allowing me in there. His arm was in a sling and his jaw and eyes were bruised and swollen. I wondered if Evelyn had done it herself or had delegated it to someone else. Either way, I knew it would be tough to get back in there again.

She told me Jeremy was to be my companion - to "show me the ropes", but I know he's really my chaperone. I don't hold it against him, though – he's a good guy. He's also a lot smarter than he lets on. They have a training room, similar to the one in Dauntless, and that's where I've felt most at ease. I've been sparring with him and some of the other Factionless. They are hard to beat. In Dauntless, I had the advantage because I was smarter, and more patient than my opponents. That's not true here. Perhaps it's having lived on the streets, or perhaps it's their Divergence - I don't know, but the Factionless are almost frightening in their cunning. And they're willing to take at _least_ as many risks as the Dauntless. It's a disturbing combination, but I've kept at it, determined to get stronger and to learn as much about them as possible.

This is the first time I've been in the command room. Like the surveillance room, there are dozens of monitors on the wall, and a huge one in the center. There are consoles with numerous buttons and knobs. Jeremy had told me once that Evelyn could control everything from this room.

"What do you mean by _everything_?" I had asked.

Jeremy's answer had been frustratingly vague. "You know, everything in the compound. And some other stuff."

I'm hoping now I'll get the chance to find out what that 'other stuff' is, but Evelyn has other plans. She allows me no time to look around. "I told you I had a job for you, and it looks like you're going to be doing it sooner than I thought."

"What is it?" I ask.

"Play the message," she commands a young woman, seated at the console in front of the largest screen.

I have to fight to keep my composure when I turn and see a drawing of a Ferris wheel on the screen. _Tris_.

"Where did this come from?" I ask Evelyn.

"Listen!" she hissed back.

A computerized voice follows: "We have learned that the Erudite were behind the recent attack on the Dauntless headquarters. We believe that the citizens of our City must be made aware of the circumstances surrounding that attack, and Dauntless' subsequent attack on Abnegation. It started with an aggression serum." The screen is now showing videos, clearly taken from Erudite labs. Something is being injected into a cage full of rats. Immediately afterwards, they start clawing and biting each other. Then we see two Factionless men being injected, presumably with the same substance. I have no words to describe what I see next. Several of the people in the room look away from the screen, but when I glance at my mother, I see she is riveted. When I look back at the screen, the scene has changed; it's Dauntless. Eric is shown on the morning of Samhain, tampering with the beer. I had seen him there and I silently curse myself for not having investigated further. The next scene shows Eric planting the bomb, and the final one shows him in the Erudite Infirmary. I can't tell what injuries he has or how badly he's hurt. The computerized voice continues. "Though we fear more violence, we have decided that it is our duty to share this information. We urge you find a peaceful solution to the problems our City faces."

Only then does my mother answer me. "It's coming from somewhere in Abnegation. We're still searching for it."

"Can I join the search? I know Abnegation, I could help them find it faster." It's really Tris I want to find, but I know I can't tell her that.

"That's won't be necessary. You're going back to Dauntless."

With Eric gone, it's probably safe for me now, but I'm suspicious of her reasons for letting me go. I wait, not wanting to appear too eager to leave. I don't have to wait long.

"Go back to your room and put your black clothes on. You're going to be my new Ambassador."

"How will I explain where I've been?"

"Tell them Eric captured you during the raid on Abnegation, and took you back to Erudite. After that, you can tell them the truth – to a point. Obviously you won't tell them we're Divergent."

"Why do you need an Ambassador?"

"I want an alliance. We've been planning to move on Erudite for years, but we knew the Dauntless would protect them. I don't think that's likely to happen now, though - do you?"

"So you want me to convince them to join with you?"

"Exactly. They'll trust you. We've been discussing ways to enlist the Dauntless, but until this transmission, we didn't have any proof - besides your word."

It's clear my mother has no understanding of how we think. "My word would have been enough, to the Dauntless," I say, quietly.

"Perhaps. But this is better."

"What do you want me to say to them?"

"I want the Dauntless leadership to meet me in Abnegation. In our old house."

"They'll think it's a trap."

She smiles now. "I thought you said your word would be enough?"

" _Is_ it a trap?"

She laughs out loud, and the others join in. "Would I tell you if it were?"

I wish I had a knife to throw, but as it is, I have to wait for the laughter to die down.

"Tobias, listen. I need them. It's not a trap. And you'll offer yourself as a hostage."

"Do I have any say in this?"

Now her voice is cloying and sweet, like when I was hurt. "You're my only son, do you really think I would let anything happen to you?"

 _Yes._ "When do you want me to go?"

"Now. Jeremy will accompany you, in case you need anything."

It's almost dawn when Jeremy and I approach the Dauntless headquarters. He's armed with a pistol and a rifle, and who knows what else, but I was only able to persuade him to give me a knife. Once we reach the main entrance, I raise my hands in the air, and motion to Jeremy to do the same. He hesitates for a moment, but then places his rifle on the ground and raises his hands.

"What now?" he asks.

"We wait. They'll see us." I'm hoping it's Zeke in the control room. It takes almost 20 minutes for the doors to open. When they do, it's Max standing there, surrounded by armed soldiers. I recognize them all. I trained most of them.

Max speaks first. "Who's your friend, Four?"

"This is Jeremy. I have a message for you."

Max's anger and suspicion are palpable. "A _message_? From _whom?_ "

"Let me come in, and I'll explain."

"Fine, but just you."

"Tobias, Evelyn said I can't let you go in alone." Jeremy's voice is oddly calm.

Max trains his gaze back on me. " _Tobias?_ Who the f_ is Tobias? Last time I checked, _Four_ took orders from _me._ "

I turn around to plead silently with Jeremy, but he is resolute.

"I can explain, but if you want to hear what I have to say, you'll have to let him come, too."

Max is fuming, but he concedes. "No weapons."

His guards surround us, patting us down and removing Jeremy's weapons and my knife.

"Sorry, Four." Christina whispers to me, but I don't acknowledge it. She should know better. We're escorted to Max's office, and I'm surprised to find Harrison and Andrasta there. They're the other two-thirds of the triumvirate that was supposed to be commanding Dauntless, but in truth, it was Max – maybe Eric, really – making all of the decisions. With Eric gone, perhaps Max has returned to the old ways. I wonder briefly what means Eric was using to control Max. We're shown chairs, and then Max gestures to the guards to leave.

As soon as the door closes, he addresses me. "Now you're going to tell me what the f_ is going on."

I take a deep breath, and begin my story. "My father is Marcus Eaton. Jeanine thought he was hiding Divergents." I pause trying to find a way to say the next part in a way that Max will believe. "Eric was planted in Dauntless by Jeanine. He captured Marcus during the attack on Abnegation, and took him to Erudite." I'm watching Max' reaction, but there is none. _Could he have known?_ "Jeanine had Marcus tortured, but he wouldn't talk. So she told Eric to capture me. She thought if she tortured me in front of Marcus, he would talk. He didn't."

"How did you get out of Erudite?"

"When I was nine, I was told my mother had died. That was a lie. She left Abnegation to join the Factionless, and now she is their leader. Evelyn – my mother, found out I was there, and her people rescued me."

This time it's Andrasta who questions me. "They have a _leader_?" She eyes Jeremy now. "Who armed them?"

I don't know how to answer her, so I continue. "The Factionless are angry about the way they've been treated, especially Erudite. They're angry about the attack on Abnegation. You've seen the transmission?" Max nods. "They want to attack Erudite, and take control of the water supply. And they want you to help them. My mother wants you to meet her in Abnegation, to discuss an alliance. I can draw you a map."

"How do I know it isn't a trap?" Max questions me.

"She has no reason to attack you. She needs you. And you can keep me as a hostage."

"You volunteered for that?" Harrison asks.

"No."

"So you're taking orders from her now?" Max probes.

"I wanted to come home."

Max purses his lips and is silent for a moment. He reaches into his desk and pulls out paper and a pen. "Draw the map."

I comply. When I finish, I hand it back to him. He stuffs it into the top pocket of his jacket and turns to Harrison and Andrasta. "Let's go."

They rise to leave, but Max turns back to me, brandishing his knife. "Listen, _Tobias_. If this goes bad, I will _gut_ you. Got it?"

I look him straight in the eye. "Got it."

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are like crack to me. I've been wondering if I need to change the rating to M for this book, there's going to be some language, some violence, and perhaps some other stuff. What are your thoughts?**


	6. Chapter 6 Women's Intuition

_From Andrasta's perspective_

I would really like to know what the f_ is going on. I can only assume that's why Max has agreed to meet with the factionless. He'd like to know as well. I get that. Some crazy sh_ has been happening this week, and my head is f_ing spinning. Still, I'm pretty sure we're all headed into a trap.

Believe it or not, I was Amity-born. It didn't take long for the people around me there to notice I was a little, uh, _different._ I had my mother's red hair, but the fiery temper was mine alone. I think she understood me, though. She was the only one there who did. She used to say that from the minute I could walk and talk, she would continuously have to admonish me to be nicer, and that when she did, I would just glare back at her and yell, "Who's gonna f_ing _make_ me?" By the time I was eight, I was getting into fights almost daily. I'd come home with bloody knuckles and my mother would just sigh and tell me that she wished my father were still there. He was killed when he fell into a combine harvester that he was repairing. If he'd been closer to the City, he might have lived, but medical care in Amity is rudimentary at best. My mother always referred to that day as "when your father left." Like he just walked away – peaceful, like. Have you ever seen one of those combines? No? Take my word for it, it's not a good way to go. And certainly not 'peaceful'. We both always knew I'd be leaving, too. I felt badly about it, but the day I made that cut and squeezed my blood out onto those burning coals was the day I was finally free. My parents had called me Andrea, but after my Choosing, I was Andrasta, named for a goddess of war.

Now I'm a Dauntless leader, one of three. It's supposed to be all three of us making the decisions together, but about eighteen months ago, all that started to change. Amar had been our leader, but when he died Max was elected to the council. I'm pretty sure it was Max who killed Amar. I was too chickensh_ to call him out on it, though. So was everyone else. So much for being f_ing `Dauntless', huh? It was Eric's influence, I think. Max changed when he arrived. Overnight. He became aggressive and power hungry, and as soon as he got onto the council he pushed Harrison and me out of all his plans. He even tried to get Eric onto the council, but thankfully that's still done by vote. Eric was a f_ing psychopath, and he was turning Max into one, too. Despite the chaos of the past week, now that Eric's gone, things actually feel _more_ normal. Even Max has changed – he's more like himself. He used to be a decent guy. It'll be a f_ing shame if we're all killed tonight.

We've reached Abnegation now, but are wandering, lost, among the empty houses. They all look the same. We twitch at every sound. Max is in the lead, and I'm bringing up the rear.

"We should've brought Four with us," Harrison mutters.

"You trust him?" Max counters.

"Yes. Don't you?" answers Harrison.

"He and Eric have hated each other since initiation. For all we know, the factionless have Eric and that transmission was completely fabricated. Four was always good with computers."

I'm silent throughout this exchange. There's no point. I just want to get this over with. "Could you two shut the f_ up? We're probably walking straight into an ambush," I hiss at them through clenched teeth. Thankfully, they do. We turn the corner, and we see a light coming from one of the houses. Max hold up his right fist to halt us. He points to Harrison, then to his own eyes, gestures around the house to the right. He repeats the gesture for me, but points to the left. We circle around the house, but find no one. The curtains are all drawn, and it's impossible to see inside. I don't like this one bit. Max is undeterred, though. He squares up and knocks on the door. It opens. I still can't see inside very well, but Max steps over the threshold, and Harrison and I follow. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly through my teeth.

Inside are five factionless, dressed in multi-colored rags. Four men and a woman. They are all holding rifles. They look rough. We're in the kitchen. At first I wonder if perhaps the house had been stripped bare after the attack, but then I remember we're in Abnegation. This is how they live. There is a table and four chairs in the kitchen, and seated at the table is another woman. For a brief moment, I can't place why she looks familiar, and I struggle. But then I realize – she's Four's mother. Given the circumstances, she seems oddly at ease.

"This was my house, once." She smiles, gesturing for us to sit down. "You may keep your weapons." She nods to Max and Harrison as they take their seats.

"I prefer to stand." I say, keeping my back against the wall nearest to the door. She looks to me then, fixing me in an unnerving stare. I refuse to look away, and this goes on for several uncomfortable seconds before she breaks it off.

"You must be Andrasta?" she asks. I wonder what Four has told her about us.

"Yes."

"And Harrison?" He nods slowly.

"And Max."

"You must be Evelyn."

She places her palms face down, flat on the surface of the table. "We have a lot to talk about, so I'll get right to it. I would like to propose an alliance with you."

"We know nothing about you." Max replies.

"Naturally you have questions. After we're done talking, you may accompany us back to our headquarters. I think you'll be impressed by what we've been able to accomplish. It's the quickest way to learn about who we are."

"The quickest way for us to be killed, you mean." The words fly out of my mouth almost before I think them.

Again, those eyes – studying me. So like Four's. I've always liked and trusted Four, he was one of Amar's favorites. But I don't trust this woman at all. Call it women's intuition. I want to run from here as fast as I can, without looking back. The sentiment is apparently unshared, though. She leans in toward Max and smiles, gesturing toward me.

"I like her," she tells him, her hand brushing his forearm, and her voice sounding far too familiar. I can't see Max' face, but I notice he doesn't pull his arm away. _Is that all it takes?_ She smiles slyly, as if they are sharing a secret. "Of course, you must realize that if I wanted you dead, we wouldn't all still be talking?"

Max chuckles at this, and even Harrison cracks a smile. I notice none of the factionless are smiling, though. They're all watching us intently.

"And what would be the purpose of this alliance?" Max asks.

Her voice changes now. "Water. Pure and simple. Right now, Erudite controls the water. Because of that, they control all of us. That arrangement was never equitable. We factionless felt it most of all, but can you tell me you never wondered why it was that Erudite always got the best of everything?"

I'll say this for her, she has a point. Even as a leader, I now have little contact with the other factions, but as children, we all went to school together. Like the rest of the Amity, my dresses were patched and handed-down. The Erudites' were not. We were tanned and rough-skinned from years of tending fields under a permanently cloudless sky. Water was heavily rationed, saved for the crops. The Erudite always looked as if they never went outside – as if nothing ever touched them at all. There was even a rumor that they had a swimming pool inside their headquarters. A f_ing _swimming_ pool. I never believed it, though.

"Who do you think should control the water?" Harrison asks.

"All of us. Each faction, including ours, could build their own hydrosynthesis plants if we had the engineering schematics that the Erudite have kept secret from us. After that, we could all negotiate a new City order – as true equals."

Max leans forward now, clearly intrigued. "How would we run these plants? We're not scientists."

She waves a hand in the air as if to brush the thought aside. "I'm sure there are some among you who could be trained. We have a number of former Erudite among us. We would help you." She addresses me now, directly. "Surely Amity would operate far more efficiently if the water they needed for crops were produced right there."

I shrug, making sure not to betray how unnerved I am by her knowledge of my background. "Wouldn't that give Amity too much power, then?" I ask. "They'd still control food production."

"Yes, but the Amity have never abused their power. Erudite attacked you, drugged you, and tricked you into slaughtering the Abnegation. You saw the evidence."

"For all we know, _you_ sent that transmission. We have no way of knowing if any of that was true." Max counters.

Evelyn tilts her head to the side, as if considering this point. "True. The videos could have been altered. You'll never know unless you get inside Erudite."

"Our job is to protect the City. We already destroyed one faction, and now there's the possibility that we were misled. It would take quite a bit to convince us to move against another." Harrison reasons.

"I'm proposing a surgical strike. We get in, we get the hydrosynthesis schematics, and perhaps take a quick look around to see if there is any sign of Eric or the aggression experiments. They have very few guards. If we combined our forces, we could subdue them quickly without bloodshed. I agree that it is the duty of Dauntless to protect the City. Isn't it your duty to find out what really happened?"

In my gut, I feel just as uneasy as I did when I walked into Abnegation, maybe more so - but I'm also starting to see the advantage of Evelyn's plan. We have to act. The entire City has seen that transmission – we can't just go on as if nothing has happened.

Max speaks next. "Isn't this a job for Candor, then? They could put Jeanine on trial. Give her truth serum."

"You're assuming that Jeanine would submit to such a trial, and that the Erudite haven't figured out a way to counteract the truth serum." Evelyn responds.

Max sighs now. "We should wait and see how Erudite responds to the transmission."

"That's certainly an option – but they're probably destroying evidence as we speak. We need to do this now. Tonight."

"You're asking a lot." I tell her.

"Listen, it's up to you. If we go in by ourselves, there may be more bloodshed. And whatever evidence there may be against Erudite – well, you'll have to trust us that we haven't tampered with it."

I can tell Max doesn't like this answer. "Alright. We're going outside to talk." Max rises and signals us toward the door. The second I close the door behind us, Harrison opens his mouth to speak, but I shut him down.

"Not _here,_ sh_ for brains!" I hiss.

Max motioned to us to follow him to the other side of a neighboring house. Once we get there, we squat down on the ground.

"Thoughts?" Max asks.

"This is f_ed." I say. "It smells wrong."

"That's the stench of dead Abnegation, Andrasta. Don't you want to know if the stuff in that transmission was true?"

"Of course I do. But if the Erudite were able to trick us, how do we know _she's_ not tricking us now? There are too many unknowns." I respond.

"I say we go see her headquarters. Then we decide. Agreed?" Max looks at both of us. Frankly, I'm surprised he's even consulting us. Before the bomb, it would have been Max and Eric making the decision on their own.

"Agreed." Says Harrison. They both look to me.

I shrug. "F_ it. I got nothing else to do tonight."

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are like crack to me. Is Dauntless going to join in the attack on Erudite? Stay tuned! Sorry Andrasta has such a foul mouth. I can't control her.**


	7. Chapter 7 The Closet

_From Tris' Perspective_

It had been surprisingly simple. Uriah had wanted to go with me, but I and the others had been able to convince him that there was no reason to risk his life as well. Once it was dark, I rode the train into the City. I had the transmitter in a sack, slung over my shoulder. I was dressed in Four's black sweater and pants from Amity, and if I encountered anyone, my plan was to pretend I was factionless, out searching for scrap metal. If the Factionless happened upon me, I'd run. I needn't have worried, though. When I jumped onto the train, it was deserted.

The ride seemed longer than before, but I'm sure it was because I was alone. I feel Four's absence acutely. It's like a weight on my chest, crushing me. I pray that he gets my message and understands it. I had wanted so badly to give some hint of where I was, but I knew that if I did, it would endanger the people I was with in Amity, as well. I passed the time with prayer.

When the time came, I jumped from the train, taking care not to damage the transmitter. The impact jarred my legs more than usual because I couldn't roll, but I was still in one piece. I stood up straight, steeled myself, and walked into Abnegation. It was a moonless night. There were no lights. I had a small flashlight in my knapsack, but I didn't dare turn it on for fear of being seen. So I had felt my way along the rows of houses, stumbling once over something lying in the path that I think may have been a body. I did not go back to check. There was nothing I could do for any of them.

I found the house that was my target, in the very center of Abnegation. I knocked quietly, then immediately realized the foolishness of it. I slowly eased the door open, and peered inside. Empty, of course. I climbed the stairs to the second floor, went down the hallway, and entered the smallest bedroom. I moved the desk closer to the window, and hopped on top of it. Then I opened the window and pulled myself halfway out of it, my hips resting on the sill, still facing inward. There was a knack to this next move, but I'd performed it many times. I was just able to grasp the rim of the roof and pull myself up and over, onto its flat surface. As a child I'd spent many nights on the roof of my own house, gazing at the stars. I had no time for that tonight, though.

I carefully removed the transmitter from my knapsack and set it on the roof. I had been given careful instructions about testing and activating it, and I followed them exactly. I removed the left panel, keyed in the sequence of numbers I'd been taught, and pressed the button to engage. It was working. It was a strong transmitter, and Katrina and the others had stressed to me the importance of getting in, and particularly out, of Abnegation as quickly as possible. Getting off the roof was considerably more difficult than getting onto it. As I slid through the window, the sleeve of Four's sweater snagged on the windowsill, sending me tumbling to the bedroom floor. I had a painful gash in my side. I scrambled to my feet and hurried out of the house. Blindly, I made my way back out of Abnegation the way that I had come. The pain from the cut grew with each step, and it occurred to me that I might be leaving a trail of blood behind me as I walked. There was no way to check in the dark, but it would be obvious in the morning.

All Abnegation households keep medical supplies on hand, for helping the factionless, so I opened the next door I came to and crept inside. Once there, I froze. It was Four's house. I took a deep breath to clear any thoughts of him from my head, and headed into the kitchen to find some bandages. As a child, I had hated the uniformity of all our houses, but at that moment I was grateful to be able to locate what I needed quickly. When I lifted Four's sweater, I saw that I had been bleeding quite a bit – I had made the right call. I sprayed the wound liberally with antiseptic and covered it with a large bandage, taking care to wipe down the counter and to pack the wrapper and a second bandage into my knapsack. I wanted there to be no link between Four and the transmission. I was just about to leave, when another thought came to me. Perhaps I could leave him a message.

I slowly crept upstairs, heading for Four's bedroom. The first room was clearly Marcus', and the second was an office. The last bedroom had clearly not been inhabited for some time, though it had been dusted recently. Four's schoolbooks and papers were still neatly stacked on the desk. I searched frantically for something to write with and finally found a pencil. I grabbed it and quickly drew a Ferris wheel, like the one I had drawn for the transmission. This time, though, I took an additional risk, thinking Four would be the only person likely to ever see it. I drew an arrow from the Ferris wheel to a tree, in an attempt to signal that I had gone to Amity. It was a long shot, but I had to try.

That done, I took one last look around the room. It was strange to think of Four as Tobias, dressed in gray - living in this room, doing his schoolwork, dreaming of the day he would escape, just like I had. Longing for him hit me like a tidal wave then, and I sat down on the bed to steady myself. I pressed my face to the pillow, hoping it still retained something of him, but I smelled only the familiar scent of Abnegation soap. It was hopeless. I would never see him again. During the past week in Amity, I had slipped into a livable routine, my spirits buoyed by Uriah and the others. This was the first night I had been alone since the night I had read my mother's letters on the train. I pulled my feet to my chest and rocked myself slowly, trying to make the pain go away enough so that I could walk out of here and make my way back to Amity. I lay back on the bed, still rocking. It had been a mistake to come up here. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to make the tears stop. I emptied my mind…

I awake with a start. I realize that I had fallen asleep. _Stupid! How long have I been here?_ There was no way to know. I quickly jump out of the bed and make my way down the hallway. And that's when I hear it. It's probably what woke me in the first place. There are people in the house. I can hear their boots on the tile of the kitchen floor. There are at least four of them, and I can tell from the sounds they make that they are not moving around with the cultivated grace and silence of the Abnegation. _Who were they?_ _Dauntless, perhaps?_ I need to hide. I carefully open the door to the hallway closet and quietly enter, trying to make as little noise as possible. Then I freeze.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?"

"I thought I heard somebody walking around upstairs."

"You're imagining it. Even if there were Abnegation still alive, they wouldn't be in this house – it was Evelyn's. Marcus is still being held at Erudite, and Tobias is in Dauntless by now."

"I'm going to go take a look."

"Suit yourself."

I hold my breath as I hear boots on the stairs. I carefully press myself as far as possible into the back of the closet, covering myself with old coats and blankets. It is stifling, and I begin to understand Four's fear. It was unforgivably foolish of me to linger in this house. The boots pass the closet door, and enter each of the bedrooms in turn. Now they're back in the hallway. I count the steps – one, two, three. I slowly exhale as they pass me and descend the stairs. _Saved_.

"Find anything?"

"No – nothing. Literally, nothing. How do these people live like this?"

"Beats me."

"Of all the factions that had to go, I wish it hadn't been Abnegation. They were the only decent people in the City."

"Don't let Evelyn hear you say that."

"I won't. I like having all my teeth."

"I hate sitting around here waiting."

"We need the Dauntless."

"We've got more than enough fire power to take Erudite on our own."

"Sure, but then what? This way, the Dauntless will take the blame. The longer we can go without showing ourselves, the better."

"I know. But I hate the waiting."

"We'll have our revenge soon enough."

My mind reels, realizing that things are about to unfold exactly as I feared. And I'm trapped in a closet, unable to do anything about it. I can't breathe. It's risky, but I fumble through my knapsack and find my flashlight. I push a blanket against the bottom of the door to keep any light from showing, and flip the switch. I am not prepared for what I see next.

I see the marks on the door first. It looks as if a caged animal had clawed at it, trying to escape. _Four._ It's heartrending. As I survey the other walls, I see that he, too, must have had a light in here. The walls are covered with drawings. Many of them are stick figures – a woman holding a smiling boy's hand, a man playing catch with his son. This is the life he had dreamed of – the life he deserved.

I hear a woman's voice now, but it's muffled. I turn my flashlight off and pull the blanket away from the door, replacing it with my ear. It's Evelyn. She is harder to hear, but I can just make it out.

"Take a look around, boys. I spent eleven years in this box. Marcus beat me every one of those days, except when I was pregnant. Every day."

I almost feel sorry for her, until I remember her cold eyes, and my mother's warnings.

"We'll make him pay."

"No. He's mine. _I'll_ make him pay. And it won't be quick." I believe her.

"Wait, I hear somebody coming."

"That'll be them," says Evelyn. "Right on time."

"It's three of them, just like you said."

"Alright. Let me do the talking. Keep an eye on the woman, though. She'll be the tough one."

 **Author's Note: I am so sorry this chapter has taken so long. There has been a lot going on with me lately, and I just haven't been able to get my head straight enough to sit down and write. I was concerned that there was just way too much hiding in that upstairs closet, but it was the only way I could think of for Tris to find out quickly exactly what the factionless are up to. But what will she do with this information? Thank you for reading, and as always, I welcome your comments good and bad. I will try not to have such a long wait for the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8 Two Truths and a Lie

_From Christina's Perspective_

"Well, _this_ is weird." I can't help it. I've been in this room almost four hours without saying a word, and I can't take it any longer. We're guarding Four, and some factionless man he brought back with him.

"Max told us no talking." Lynn warns me. Will looks away, saying nothing.

"I don't care. I need the truth." I tell them.

"You never did know when to keep your mouth shut," Four says.

"What happened to you? And where are Zeke and the others?" I ask him.

Four looks surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Zeke, Uriah, and Shauna went missing around the same time you did. Weren't you together?"

Four looks confused, like he's struggling to understand what I'm saying. "I don't know…" He murmurs.

I press him further, though. "What did they do to you in Erudite? How did you get out?"

Four is shaking his head. "I don't even know anymore."

I glance back at Will and the alarm on his face matches what I'm feeling. This is Four, our instructor. It's shocking to see him confused and broken.

I have a thousand more questions but I don't get the chance to ask them, because at that moment, Max bursts into the room. Harrison and Andrasta are right behind him. Max is anxious, and I sense he's in a hurry. He points at the factionless man. "Take him out into the hallway."

We obey without question. Will steps forward and pulls him up by his handcuffs, and Lynn and I keep our rifles trained on him. We're barely all into the hallway when the door slams shut behind us. I want to know what's going on, so I press my ear to the door.

"Get away from there!" whispers Lynn.

"Shhh! I can't hear!"

I turn back to the door, but not without first catching the eye of the factionless man. There's something not right about him. I can't put my finger on it, but he seems far too calm. I waste no further time on him, though. I cup my ear, and hear a few snatches of the exchange inside. Max is doing most of the talking.

"You're sure it was Eric who tortured you?"

"Yes."

"And he was working for Jeanine the whole time?"

"Yes."

"Can we trust her?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know. She's your _mother_."

Silence. I step away from the door at exactly the right moment. A second later, and I'd have been knocked to the ground when Max through the door open.

"Will, Christina – you stay here and guard them. Lynn, you're with us."

Will pushes the prisoner through the door, but I linger in the hallway long enough to hear one last sentence from Max.

"I say we go. Now. We'll never know the truth otherwise."

Andrasta opens her mouth to speak, but sees me staring and slams the door in my face. I never hear her reply.

I don't have long to wait, though. I soon hear the alarm ringing, summoning everyone to the Pit. They're going to attack Erudite. I look to Will, and see that he's already figured it out.

"You were Erudite?" the factionless man asks.

"Candor." I reply.

"That was obvious. I was asking _him._ " He gestures toward Will with his bound hands.

"Yes." Will answers, through clenched teeth.

"Don't worry. It's not going to be like Abnegation. They're going to be in and out. They're just looking for some plans and for evidence. They're not going to have to kill anyone."

This time Will answers. "We don't know anything about you."

"True, but if we're lying, Max will probably kill us. Do I look worried?"

This seems to mollify Will, but I'm less sure. I look to Four, and like me, he seems troubled, rather than satisfied, by the man's calm. I wish I knew what was happening in the Pit, but we are stuck here, completely blind to the outside world.

It's as if Will has read my mind. He turns around and starts searching the console on Max' desk. "There has to be a way we can find out what's going on."

"Unlikely." says Four. "I could probably tunnel into the control room mainframe from here, but that would only give us views inside Dauntless. We don't have cameras inside Erudite. Jeremy, is there any way to access the factionless surveillance system?"

I can't stop myself. "What? You've been watching the factions?"

"Mostly the Erudite." Jeremy responds, ignoring my anger. "Aren't you glad somebody knows what's going on?"

"Well?" Presses Four.

Jeremy shakes his head. "Sorry man – maybe if David were here. We just have to wait it out. It won't take long."

For some reason, I find the words the most disturbing of all. _It won't take long._

Will sighs with exasperation. Four closes his eyes tightly, as if he's trying to remember something.

"How can we trust you when you admit you've been spying on us?" Will presses Jeremy.

"The Erudite had cameras everywhere, too." Four interjects.

"Did the factionless tell you that?" I ask him.

"No."

"Who, then? Jeanine?"

Four hesitates for a split second. "Yes."

I look to see if Will noticed it, but his eyes are trained on Jeremy. _Four is lying_. _Why?_ I rack my brain. Everything else he's said is true. Why would he lie about this, then? Knowing Four, he's protecting someone, but who? A fragment of a memory from Samhain bubbles its way to the surface. I had been very drunk. I have a hazy memory of seeing Four taking his shirt off, but there's something else strange about that picture. Finally it comes to me.

"Four, who was that girl with you at the Samhain bonfire?"

Panic fills his eyes, but just for a moment. "I don't know, she had a mask on." _Lying again._ He'd been dancing very close with her. There was absolutely no chance they'd been strangers to each other. Four wasn't like that.

The seconds tick by. They become minutes. Jeremy hums a soft tune under his breath, one I've never heard. I want to know more about him.

"Were you always factionless?" I ask him.

"No."

"So what were you?"

"Unwanted."

"No, I meant what faction were you?"

"I know what you meant."

"OK, so…"

"It wasn't Candor."

"Yeah, I figured _that_ out."

His calm demeanor drops for just a moment. "Is that all you care about? All you need to know about a person? What _faction_ I was?" His eyes narrow now. "You have no idea how ridiculous you sound." As soon as the words are out, though, he leans back in his chair and resumes humming.

I glance at Will, but he just shrugs and turns back to the Max' console.

"Any luck?" I ask him. He shakes his head.

Another hour goes by, save for the occasional humming from Jeremy. It's maddening. Then another. Then another.

Just when I think I'm going to scream, Max bursts into the room once again. His jacket is torn and his eyes are wild. I look back at Jeremy and am shocked to see his hands are no longer bound and he's got a knife at Four's throat. _Where did it come from?_ _How did he move so quickly?_ I have only a split second to act. It's clear he came here knowing he'd never leave. I don't even aim, I just fire. Jeremy goes limp, his knife leaving only a small nick in Four's throat.

"He was here to kill me after you left for Erudite." Four speaks, quietly.

"You knew this the whole time?

Four shakes his head. "I hoped he was here only to keep me from telling you more about the factionless."

Will turns to Max. "What happened in Erudite?"

"Evelyn lied to us. She had more than enough manpower to take Erudite. She slaughtered them. Just like we slaughtered the Abnegation. She promised to give us the hydrosynthesis plans and whatever evidence she found. It was all a lie. It was over in minutes. They killed everyone they found, and then they torched the entire building. _We_ were just there to take the blame." Max spits the words at Four, and I expect him to lunge at him. But he doesn't. Instead, he points his gun at Four's head.

"Answer me now. Did Evelyn engineer the attack on Abnegation?"

"I don't think so. That was Jeanine. What I told you was true. She and Eric tortured me."

"Well, she's dead now."

Four looks shocked. "And Marcus?"

"Evelyn took him back to their headquarters." Max' eyes narrow now, searching Four's face. "She sacrificed you – and this guy."

Four seems unaffected by the news that his own mother sent him to his death. I can't bear to look at Will, but I can hear him taking deep breaths, trying not to cry in front of Max.

"She'll kill Marcus," Four says.

"Probably. But we have bigger problems, now, Four. She has more soldiers than us, and after the other factions find out what happened, they'll turn against us. Evelyn played us. I wanted to kill you, and I still might, but Harrison and Andrasta think you might be useful. So now you're going to tell me everything you know about her, her people, and her compound."

Four takes a deep breath. "They're Divergent. Erudite and Dauntless – calculating and ruthless. I think they've been purposely bred."

"Bred _how?_ "

"I don't know."

"So Jeanine was right? The Divergent _were_ a threat."

"Only some of them. Jeanine never really understood what was happening. She was looking for Divergents among the factions. She never realized the real danger was from the outside."

"But still, she might have found them eventually."

"Listen, the Erudite had blood on their hands, too. Have you forgotten what they did to us?

Max ignores this last statement of Four's. "At Erudite, Evelyn had us outnumbered by at least 50%. Do you know how many soldiers she has?"

"No, she kept me closely guarded while I was there. Most of the time I was still in the hospital. I didn't see that much of the compound. You should know that they have cameras throughout the city."

"Inside the factions?"

"Yes. And so did Erudite."

I can't stop myself from interjecting. "Jeanine told you that?"

Max glares at me now. "Shut. Up." Its clear Max thinks this has no significance, but that's because he's thinking like a Dauntless. Something tells me the girl who was with Four is the key to everything.

Max continues now with his interrogation. "You said Eric captured you in Abnegation and took you to Erudite."

"Yes." _Lying again._

"And he and Jeanine tortured you."

"Yes." This part is true. _But then why would he lie about how he got there? If Eric didn't take him, who did?_

"Zeke, Uriah, Hana, and Shauna have been missing since the attack on Abnegation. Do you know anything about that?"

"I'm not sure." _He really doesn't know._

Max is unsatisfied, though. "Either you know something, or you don't."

"I keep having these dreams that it was them who rescued me, not my mother's people. But it doesn't make any sense. I don't know anything else."

It's clear Max thinks Four is holding back, but he doesn't press him further. "You haven't asked me what happened to Eric."

"He's alive?"

"I found him myself. We brought him back here. We're going to execute him. I wanted to do it myself, but the council has decided that privilege should go to you. So let's go."

"Now?"

"Now."

 **A/N I am so sorry it has taken so long for me to update.** **Things are still very busy for me, but I hate to leave this unfinished, and the process of writing it has been good for me.** **I hope you are still enjoying it as well. I'm very interested in your reviews, good and bad.** **In the next chapter you will see the attack on Erudite, through Andrasta's eyes.** **I've changed the rating to M, so no more edited-out swear words. The plot for these books is a bit complicated, and I actually had to go back through and read everything myself to remember all the details. I wrote brief descriptions of what has happened in each chapter up until now. If you want to see the synopsis (it'll help you pick back up with the book), PM me and I'll send it to you.**


	9. Chapter 9 Blood in the Water

Chapter 9 Blood in the Water

 _From Andrasta's Perspective_

I need to throw up. My head is spinning. I don't even know which way is up. I have to get a grip. _Get a grip, Andrea! Andrea? What the fuck? You don't even know who you are anymore!_

We had followed Evelyn to the factionless compound. Once there, we were given a tour. I remember having the impression that the whole thing had been carefully scripted and choreographed. There was a cavernous hospital. Max and Harrison were impressed, but they should have been scared. She had led us through its hallways, pointing out operating rooms and other facilities.

"How many of you are there?" I has asked.

"Fewer than a hundred." She had responded, immediately.

"But why do you need all these hospital beds, then?" I pressed.

"There are thousands of factionless, and we intend to care for them all. Somebody has to, now that the Abnegation are gone." She replied.

"But it must have taken you years to build this!"

At this, she had stopped and turned around to face me. "We've known what was coming for some time."

"How?"

To my annoyance, she had directed her answer to Max and Harrison instead. "Like I told you before, we have many former Erudite among our ranks."

I wouldn't let it go, though.

"From defectors? And you trust that information?"

She had seemed amused by my questions, rather than threatened. At the time, this had been oddly reassuring. I know better now.

"Yes, I do. We've been right so far, haven't we?"

This had silenced me, and the tour had continued.

It had been clear that there were things she wasn't showing us. I knew that even then. Max and Harrison had been convinced, though. They had planned the attack over food served inside an enormous hall. Evelyn had said that all of her people were willing to join the raid, but only about two dozen were well-trained and well-armed.

"We only want soldiers, we need to get in and out." Max had stated.

She had nodded, "I agree."

"We'll bring 50 Dauntless, and that should be more than enough."

Evelyn had produced schematics of Erudite, more detailed than anything I could have imagined. Max and Harrison made suggestions. All the while, though, it had been clear to me that she had already planned everything, but had been intentionally guiding Max in such a way as to make it appear to him as if he were in charge. It had worked. The plan was simple. She knew exactly where everything was, she just needed the manpower. But I had known things weren't right. _Why hadn't I spoken up?_

At the appointed time, the Dauntless had arrived at the agreed upon rally point. Evelyn had arrived shortly afterwards with her people. They were dressed in rags and poorly armed.

She had shrugged her shoulders coquettishly. "We could never have done this without you," she told Max. He had clearly enjoyed her gratitude.

"Shall we?" He asked.

At that, Evelyn's expression had changed, she had turned to signal her people, and we had started moving toward the Erudite headquarters. The key to a surgical strike is surprise. You want to be in and out before it even occurs to them to shoot back. Fewer people get hurt on both sides. So we Dauntless had charged right through the main entrance of the Erudite building. They were not expecting us. I'm still not sure what made me look backward when I did, but what I saw stopped me in my tracks.

Pouring through the doorway after us were several _hundred_ armed soldiers. They were at least as well armed as us, and they were wearing Dauntless uniforms. But they were not Dauntless.

"Max!" I shouted, jerking my head backwards to alert him.

His mouth had dropped open, and I could almost see the realization spreading over his features. We had been window dressing.

"We need to get our people out of here!" I yelled.

"OK, but I want Eric!"

"Have Harrison take them back, I'll stay with you and find him."

"Agreed."

Max had given the signal, and we had ducked into an alcove to plan the extraction. The maps Evelyn had given us were confusing, and looked nothing like the hallways around us.

"She gave us phony maps."

"Yup." Had been my only response. There would be time later for blame.

"Does your radio still work?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. We'll split up. It'll take both of us – wait for me if you find him first, OK? I want him alive."

"Got it."

With that, we had taken off in opposite directions. The Erudite headquarters was huge and the architecture was so unlike anything I was used to. The elevators had been shut down, and the hallways and stairwells were full of Erudite, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"You're under attack!" I had shouted. "Get out of the building!"

I could tell they didn't understand, and I didn't have time to explain. We had to find Eric before Evelyn did.

I ran up and down countless hallways, they all looked the same. In some places, it was clear the factionless had gotten there first. Blue-clad bodies – men, women, and children, lay on the floor like so many puddles of water. I pushed on for what seemed like hours, but was probably was not. I'll never forget the screams. They echoed throughout the massive glass and metal structure, bouncing off the walls and creating a nightmarish cacophony.

Finally I heard Max on the radio.

"I think I found him."

"Where are you?"

"The 30th floor. Find the swimming pool, then head down the west-facing corridor."

 _The swimming pool?_

"I'm on my way."

I made my way there quickly but carefully, trying to avoid the factionless as well as the Erudite. I couldn't help them. I was worried about finding the pool, but I shouldn't have been. Once I was on the 30th floor, I could almost smell the water, though it was an unfamiliar scent. I followed it and the feeling of humidity on my skin.

Suddenly the corridor widened into the largest room I'd ever seen. I recognized a new smell, now – sharp and metallic. This one, too, I recognized. I looked down slowly, knowing what I would see, but hoping still that I wouldn't. The pool was full of swimmers. The water was stained red where the factionless had gunned them down. It was horrifying, yet still, the thought rose unbidden to my mind. _Serves them right._

Max jumped as I approached him.

"You saw the pool?"

"Yup." There was nothing else to say.

Max gestured toward the small window in the door. "He's in there."

"How did you find him?"

"I found one of the Erudite guards."

"Why is he in a cell? I thought he was one of them?"

"Do _you_ trust him? Jeanine's not stupid."

"Alright. On three?"

We counted silently together, then kicked the door in. It almost seemed as though he had been waiting for us. I wondered why he hadn't tried to escape with the others, but then realized, where would he go? He slowly raised his arms into the air.

"Max, thank God!"

"Shut up, Eric. We know what you did."

Eric's eyes shifted quickly between me, Max, and our weapons.

"I can explain."

"Oh, you'll explain, back at Dauntless headquarters." I hissed.

Max kept his gun trained on Eric as I reached into my pack for restraints. I moved toward him slowly, preparing to take his wrists. Suddenly, he lunged forward, grabbing the knife from my boot. I jumped back, but quickly realized I wasn't his intended target. He began to raise the blade to his throat, but then winced, unable to lift his arm further. At that moment, his attention briefly diverted, Max swiftly kicked the knife from his hand. All three of us watched, breath held, as it skidded into the corner.

"You're not taking me alive!" shouted Eric, defiantly.

I glanced back at Max, and he nodded. The butt of my rifle made a satisfying 'thunk' against the side of Eric's head, and he slumped forward. I set about tying his wrists and tossed another set of restraints to Max for his ankles.

"Search all of his pockets. I don't want any more surprises."

Max took ahold of his ankles, and I grabbed him under his shoulders. He was heavy.

"They've certainly fed him well. Is it really worth the trouble?" I asked Max.

"He's the only proof we'll have that the attack on Abnegation was Jeanine's doing."

For once, Max was right about Eric. I sighed and

We made our way back through the hallway and down the stairwell as quickly as possible. After thirty floors, managing Eric's dead weight between us, we were exhausted and shaking. We just had to make it out the door, and then we'd have the cover of darkness. I opened the door carefully, and peered slowly main entranceway. It was full of bodies, but there was no sign of the Factionless. There work was done, it seemed.

The Dauntless were gone as well. I hoped they'd made it back to headquarters. There was nothing left to do except to hoist Eric's still-unconscious body onto the next train. Once inside, I leaned against the side of the train car for support. My legs were weak from the effort of carrying Eric, but it was more than that. Only then did I realize what was happening. It was all falling apart. My entire world. I'd felt this only once before. It was the last time anyone ever called me Andrea.

 **A/N This chapter, too, was a long time coming and I apologize. I've been through quite a bit in the last year. It's resolved now, but I'm trying to make sense of it. Maybe some of it will find its way into these books. Not every part of these books has unfolded the way I had planned, but I knew the day I wrote the first swimming pool scene that it would one day be filled with blood. Revolution is an inevitable consequence of oppression. The final bit of the next chapter (which you might see as soon as tomorrow!) was also another scene that I planned from the beginning. I hope you like it!**


	10. Chapter 10 Suum Cuique

_From Tobias' Perspective_

Max is rough with me as he leads me to the Pire. Christina and Will follow a few paces behind. It occurs to me that it might be my execution I'm being led to, rather than Eric's. I'm not sure I care. At least it will be quick.

I hear the crowd before I see it, as we round the corner. It's noticeably thinner than the last time we were all gathered here. I have this strange feeling, the opposite of déjà vu. It should feel familiar – I should feel at home, but I don't. None of the faces look familiar.

At the center of the Pire, where the bonfire had been, is a chair. Eric is tied to it. He's straining against the ropes. His face is red and bulging and his piercings look more prominent. The Dauntless are screaming for his blood. He is glaring back at them, but I can tell it's just a cover for the terror he must be feeling. He sees me and the glare turns to cold hatred. The crowd quiets.

Andrasta steps forward to meet me. This is the Dauntless way. No pronouncements. No second chances. She hands me a pistol. If feels cold and uncharacteristically heavy in my hand. I am paralyzed.

"Get it done," hisses Max behind me.

Eric hears him and emits a high-pitched, nervous laugh. "You can't do it! The legendary Four. But you were never one of us."

"Neither were you." I answer, quietly.

Eric lunges toward me, and his spittle coats the side of my face. As I use the sleeve of my jacket to wipe it off, Max slams the butt of his rifle into Eric's arm. He screams.

"Shut the fuck up, Eric," Max snarls.

"Trust you to get me right where it hurts, Max." Eric answers. "Though it's Four's fault, really."

"What?" I ask. It all feels so unreal.

"Stop playing around, or I'll shoot you myself," warns Max.

But Eric continues. "You taught her that little trick, didn't you?"

Whatever emotions are playing out on my face, they encourage Eric and infuriate Max.

Eric is laughing again now, at me. He's enjoying this. "Everyone at Erudite is dead now – including her."

Max shoves me. "Do it, Four. Waste him."

I raise my pistol, but Christina interrupts. "Wait, what are you talking about, Eric?"

"Four's little bitch girlfriend," shouts Eric. "She threw a knife at me."

The space around me seems to contract and expand. The dreams. They were real? I open my mouth to confirm it, but I'm too late. Max shoves me aside and fires his rifle. Eric slumps in the chair, a small red circle quickly expanding and covering his chest.

There is silence, and everyone is staring at me.

"It was supposed to be Four." Shouts Harrison.

Max is defiant, though. "What difference does it make? He's dead now."

Strangely, no one seems to care about Eric's revelation. What they do care about is my hesitation in firing. This is Dauntless, and they'll never forgive me for that.

I square my shoulders and look Max straight in the eyes.

"You never belonged here."

"No."

"Then get the hell out of here." Max grabs the pistol from my hand, then turns to Will and Christina. "One hour. He's got one hour to pack. Then he's gone."

I look to Andrasta, then to Harrison, but neither will meet my gaze. I'm out.

Will and Christina follow me out of the Pire and down the hallway to my quarters. The second we're out of earshot of the others, Christina bursts out.

"It was the girl from the bonfire, wasn't it?"

I don't even know where to start, so I say nothing. She can't let it go, though. This was always her downfall.

"Four, you have to tell us what's going on."

"I don't know." It's almost the truth. All I care about though is Tris. She came for me. It's all that matters. And I have to find her. Behind me Christina chatters on, but I block her out. Could Tris have been at Erudite, like Eric said? No, she could never have gone back after rescuing me. And Zeke and the others never came back to Dauntless. Tris was behind the broadcast, I'm sure of it. That means she left factionless after she brought me there. Evelyn didn't kill her. They are probably all still together. But where?

We're at my door now. I open it, and glance back at Will and Christina. She moves to follow, but Will gently holds his arm out in front of her. "We'll wait outside."

My room is exactly the way I left it. Exactly the way _we_ left it. The bedsheets are tangled, the familiar gray blanket is half on the floor. I squeeze my eyes shut and the images play, almost like a movie. Tris, so beautiful – laughing in my arms. For that one moment, it was all so perfect. Was that all I'd ever have? I run my fingers along the words I had spray painted across the wall. _Fear God alone._ It's hard to believe I'm the same person who put them there. I'm not. I fear so many things now.

I grab a knapsack and start throwing things inside. A canteen, a notebook with maps I'd drawn of the factionless district, the few articles of clothes I own, an extra pair of boots. Could this really be all I have left of the last two years? Far worse, I have nothing left of Tris. But she came for me.

I start to walk out, but I turn back. Things seem unfinished. It's the Abnegation in me. I start to make the bed. I fold the blanket slowly. I start to pull the black sheets flat, and that's when I find it. The shirt Shauna had brought Tris. In the panic after the bomb, she'd thrown my sweater on, and left this behind. I reach for it quickly, almost afraid it will disappear before I make contact with it. Touching the shirt only reminds me how much I want to touch her. I've got to get moving, though. I fold it carefully and place it in the bag. Now I'm ready.

The three of us walk back together. I'm about to turn down the hallway that will lead me out of the Dauntless compound, when something occurs to me. As I turn around to ask, Christina nearly plows into me. She's embarrassed and jumps backward.

"Sorry, Four."

"Can I stop by the Control Room?"

"I don't think Max would want you in there," Will replies.

It's a risk, but I have to take it. "If you give me five minutes in the control room, I'll tell you what I know."

I watch them both. Will wavers, but Christina is hooked.

"Will, this is Four. We can trust him." Christina pleads.

"Max doesn't trust him."

"We've just seen what a good judge of character Max is."

This brings Will pause.

"Alright. Five minutes." He concedes.

Once inside the control room, I log into the mainframe. No one thought to revoke my access. I quickly switch to the program I'd written just a few weeks before. I'd given Tris a copy as well. It's a long shot, maybe she's managed to send me a message. The screen is empty.

"Damn." I mutter, and push myself back from the console.

"What were you looking for," asks Christina.

It's time for me to make good on my promise. "The girl. She and Zeke and the others got me out of Erudite. I thought there might be a message from her."

"She was Erudite? How did you even meet her?"

"That's a long story, and it's not important right now. Here's what you need to know. Evelyn…"

"Your mother."

"Yes, my mother." The words feel strange in my mouth, but I push on. "Evelyn is organizing the factionless to take over the City. She's playing us all. Max, Eric, Jeanine. She's using Dauntless to attack the other factions. They'll destroy each other, and the factionless will be all that's left."

"How do we stop her?" Christina asks.

"I don't know."

"Where will you go?" Will asks.

"I need to find Zeke and the others. After that?" I shrug. I'm hoping Tris will know what to do.

"How can we help?" Christina asks.

I shake my head. "You can't. I've already put you in too much danger."

Christina takes a small bundle from inside her jacket and puts it in my hand. It's food. "Take care of yourself, OK?"

"I'll be alright."

With that, I stand up and walk out of the control room. They don't follow. I can hear my boots tapping out the rhythm of my last walk through these halls. I don't look back. I open the main door and I'm almost blinded by sunlight. For the first time in weeks, I'm glad to be alive. She came for me.

 **A/N A short chapter, but a good one, I hope. Four finally knows for sure that Tris didn't betray him. But how will he find her?**


End file.
